Painters display figurative vs. abstractive arts in Thailand

Painter Ho Huu Thu and his son Ho Hong Linh are showcasing their figurative vs. abstractive artworks at an exhibition which opened at Silom Art Gallery in Bangkok on June 15.

On display are 27 paintings, highlighting philosophy of life, the desire for peace, and the romantic beauty of Vietnam and its people.

Ngo Duc Thang, Vietnamese ambassador to Thailand, said figurative and abstractive arts will help viewers have a perfect vision of the hidden charm of Vietnam and its people, especially women.

This is the first time Thu and his son have displayed their works in Thailand.

Thu has won a silver medal at an art competition hosted by ESSO in 1960 and second prize at the Vietnam National Art Contest in 1990.

The gallery will open until July 15.

Haiphong festival promotes tourism potential

The most popular flower in the northern port city of Haiphong, the flamboyant flower, ‘flame flower’ or royal Poinciana – was the main theme of a festival held in the city during the weekend.

Brazilian to strum his stuff

Brazilian guitar virtuoso Fabricio Mattos will perform here on Monday, leading his group called Worldwide Guitar Connections in a programme of original compositions.

As part of Worldwide Guitar Connections, Mattos has toured the world and been a featured artists at festivals as well as a visiting teacher and lecturer at a number of institutions.

Born in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, he began his musical studies at the age of six, studying musical theory with his father. At the age of 14, he was introduced to the guitar. In 2009, he toured in Brazil as part of the SESC-Sonora Brazil project, performing 83 concerts.

Mattos has received honours in a number of national and international competitions, including the Armando Prazeres Prize for Young Soloists of Petrobras (Rio de Janeiro, 2003), the Ivor Mairants Guitar Award (Worshipful Company of Musicians, London), the Picker Trust Award (Royal Academy of Music, London) and the Julian Bream Award.

Mattos is expected to arrive in Ha Noi tomorrow, and his Ha Noi concert is part of a Southeast Asian kicking off in Bangkok on Thursday. Free tickets can be picked up at the Brazilian embassy at 14 Thuy Khe Street. Mattos will travel on to Myanmar, where he will perform on June 22.

Thailand’s 3D horror movie to be shown in Vietnam

A Thai 3D horror movie themed “407 Dark Flight” will be screened in Vietnam as of June 22.

It is about the shocking experience of a senior flight attendant named New, who has to deal with a supernatural event and mystery on the plane when the passengers begin to die one by one.

Dark Flight, written by Kongkait Khomsiri and directed by Isara Nadee, originates from many aircraft accidents in recent years.

The 90-minute film has gained a profit of US$1.1 million from its screening in Thailand.

Dark Flight and other horror films from Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea and Thailand such as Art of The Devil, The Eye, Shutter or Ghost of Mae Nak are expected to bring new experience and lively images to Vietnamese audiences.

“Dung Dot” screened at Asia Film Festival 2012

Vietnam took part in the Asia Film Festival 2012 organized by the embassies of Asian countries in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from June 1-10.

The event showcased entries from ten countries and territories including the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, China, India, Oman, Pakistan, Iran, Palestine, Indonesia and Vietnam.   

The Vietnamese film, “Dung Dot” (Don’t burn) directed by Dang Nhat Minh, was well received by the international audience, as well as the Korean, Pakistani and Indian ambassadors.

“Dung Dot” is based on the diary of a young female doctor who worked in a field hospital for the liberation fighters from 1968 until her death in 1970. A US military officer found the diary and saved it for 35 years before he was able to return it to her mother in Hanoi in 2005. The diary caused a sensation when it was published in Vietnam.

At the film festival's opening ceremony, the Tanzanian Deputy Minister of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, praised the embassies for contributing to cultural diversity in Tanzania.

He also said Tanzania hopes to strengthen cooperation with Asia in culture and sports, particularly cinematography.

Lao students attend beauty contest in Hue

Fifteen female students, including some from Laos, have been chosen from hundreds of hopeful candidates for the final round of a beauty contest at the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Competing alongside the most beautiful female students are the 15 most handsome men. All of them are to take part in the final round of the contest at the Hue Culture House on the evening of June 16.

The contestants will participate in ao dai (traditional long dress), sports, and Q&A competitions.

124 radio programs awarded at national festival

The organisers of the National Radio Festival on June 15 presented 16 first, 32 second and 76 third prizes to the best programs, acknowledging their contributions to the broadcasting industry.

Hosting the event for the 10th time, Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) and Hanoi Radio and Television Station (HTV) received nearly 3,000 entries of various genres of which nearly 200 were selected for the final round which took place in Hanoi on June 12-15.

VOV Deputy General Director Vu Hai noted that most entries were of high quality, reflecting all respects of life, from politics to socio-economic affairs, morality and lifestyle.

These works were all carefully prepared, from script writing to presentation and signal transmission, affirming the increasing role of the radio broadcasting industry amongst various genres of media in Vietnam, said Hai.

According to the VOV Deputy General Director, the festival aroused great passion amongst radio journalists who show their devotion to the career, as well as their improved political conscience and journalistic skills.  

In his address, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan pointed out several shortcomings of the press which need to be addressed soon. He said some newspapers sometimes do not follow their principles and guidelines by providing incorrect, misleading and immoral information, going against traditional norms.   

He called on medial workers, including those from the radio broadcasting industry, to raise their social responsibility, journalistic ethics, and professional skills to swiftly and correctly introduce Party guidelines and State policies to the people through socially-oriented products.

A number of workshops on modern radio programming and application of the state-of-the-art technology were held during the festival.  

Vietnamese-born blind woman impresses US Master Chef jury

Christine Ha strongly impressed the three-member jury as the first blind contestant taking part in the popular US Master Chef competition.

The 33-year-old, who turned blind at the age of 19, said she has managed to cook without help for 10 years.

During the live broadcast, Ha cooked a traditional Vietnamese dish of braised fish, enthusing both the jury and the audience, was voted for her to enter the next round.     

Ha said she will try her best to go further in the competition, even if she does not win a prize.

Master Chef is a live television programme that attracts millions of viewers. Nearly 30,000 contestants competed in the qualifying round to gain a place in the competition.

Exhibition on Vietnam-Cambodia cooperation opens

An exhibition entitled “Vietnam-Cambodia Fighting Alliance and Comprehensive Cooperation” opened at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi on June 15 to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Nearly 300 photographs, documents and exhibits are on display reflecting the traditional friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the two Governments, armies and people.

The exhibition comprises four sections: the Vietnamese Party, State and Army's relationship with Cambodia; the military coalition between the two countries in the resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism (1945-1975); Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and military experts helping Cambodian people escape from the Pol Pot genocide regime and rebuild their country (1978-1989); and the solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia in national construction and defense (1990-2012).

The exhibition will be up until July 15.

Russian ambassador receives Vietnamese honour

The Russian ambassador to Vietnam, Andrey G. Kovtun, has been awarded an insignia for his contributions to cultural, sport and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh highly praised Ambassador Kovtun’s significant contributions which he said have helped reinforce the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries.

He emphasized that bilateral relationship has seen new developments in recent years. Both countries have successfully organized Russian Culture Days in Vietnam and Vietnamese Culture Days in Russia, as well as sports exchanges and tourism promotion. Russia is now among the countries with the most tourists visiting Vietnam, Anh added.

He said he hopes the ambassador will continue to lobby the Russian Government to assist Vietnam with training by providing scholarships for researchers in the field of culture, sports and tourism, while creating favourable conditions to increase the number of Russian tourists to Vietnam to 300,000 by 2014, as expected.

Ambassador Kovtun committed to strengthening the bilateral friendship and culture, sports and tourism cooperation between the two countries.     

Hanoi celebrates 35 years of UNESCO Heritage

The 35th anniversary of the partnership between the Vietnam National Commission and UNESCO was celebrated in Hanoi on June 15.

In his speech, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Commission, Nguyen Thanh Son, outlined the significant achievements the commission has made over the past 35 years, and its impact on the development on the country.

Nguyen Thanh Son said that UNESCO ideals have been applied in policy making in various areas such as culture, science and education.

The country’s adoption of the UNESCO Convention has contributed to completing Vietnam’s international legal cultural framework, particularly the 2001 Law on Cultural Heritage. In addition, scientific programmes such international hydrography, oceanography and management for social change has helped Vietnam boost its scientific development.

The commission, which is a diplomatic channel to feature cultural, educational and scientific values, helps the international community gain a better understanding of the Vietnamese land and its people.

Vietnam has been elected as a member of the UNESCO Executive Council three times and has successfully asked UNESCO to adopt a declaration to honour President Ho Chi Minh- a national hero and cultural activist.

In the near future, the commission will focus more on education, science and information and multiply the model of eight biosphere reserves as a practical contribution to Vietnam’s green growth, he added.

2 illegal TV channels in Binh Dinh stop operation

The Chinese-invested Quy Nhon Cable TV Co Ltd in Binh Dinh Province has shut down its two unlicensed TV channels after Tuoi Tre exposed their illegal operation.

After Tuoi Tre published an article about the two channels, QCTV2 and QCTV3, yesterday, the firm itself stopped their operation, said Nguyen Chi Cuong, director of the Binh Dinh Province Department of Information and Communications.

Chu Quang Trung, director of the firm, also informed Tuoi Tre yesterday afternoon that the firm had canceled the channels and reported the cancellation to the department.

“If the firm had not shut down the channels, concerned agencies would have made a report about its violation, given it a penalty and then issued a decision to force it to close the channels,” Cuong said.

The channels had broadcast gastronomy, tourism and music programs on the 3-month pilot basis since February 2012 under permission from provincial authorities, but after the term was over, the firm continued the broadcasts without applying for a license from the local Department of Information and Communications.

Established in Quy Nhon City in 2002, the firm is a joint venture between the General Production Investment Service Import Export Company (Pisico) and Chinese company Run Bang.

Pisoco is in charge of management and programs while its Chinese partner is responsible for technical issues.

Ancient toilet found in Vietnam

A team of Australian and Vietnamese archaeologists have found what they believe is the earliest toilet in Southern Vietnam, 30 kilometres south of Ho Chi Minh City.

Known as Rach Nui, it is an ancient man-made mound, about five metres tall, surrounded by small tidal streams and mangrove swamps.

More than 30 preserved faeces from humans and dogs containing fish and shattered animal bones have been located in the ancient mound. Among the remnants were betel nut and foxtail millet.

"A detailed analysis of these will provide a wealth of information on both the diet of humans and dogs at Rach Nui but also on the types of parasites each had to contend with," Australian National University team leader Dr Marc Oxenham said in a statement.

The scientists hopes the find will give clues about how the region changed from a traditional hunter gatherer society to an agricultural community, the origins of farming in southern Vietnam and South-East Asia as a whole.

HCMC exhibition features southern ethnic life

An exhibition featuring the best moments in the daily life of ethnic people living in the Bay Nui (7 Mountains) Land in the southern province of An Giang is being held at the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association.

The event showcases 80 photos taken by more than 70 participants of the photography ‘camp’ titled “Improving the quality of artworks” in An Giang. The camp held by the HCMC Photography Association in collaboration with the An Giang Literature and Arts Association from May 25 to 30, aims to tie the relationship between the two associations as well as offer chances for members to meet and exchange experiences.

The exhibition will run at 122 Suong Nguyet Anh Street in District 1 until June 30.

American artist exhibits 3D street painting in Vietnam

Internationally recognized American street painter, Tracy Lee Stum, has completed a 3D painting called Snow Lotus, which is open to public on June 16-17 at Youth Cultural House, 4 Pham Ngoc Thach, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Arrived in Vietnam on June 13, Tracy immediately spent four days working on the painting, whose canvas is the ground of the Youth Cultural House.

“3D paintings require the artist to be meticulous, taking care of small details and calculating precisely, to bring the best effects to viewers,” she said.

Tracy said there is always a best position to stand and take pictures of a 3D painting. However, sometimes it is the visitors who discover new angels to take photos which show best the 3D effects.

“I love street painting as it is only kept for a short time. This may sound awkward as artists love to keep their works for a long time. But to me, I appreciate the process more than result,” she said.

Born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Tracy privately as a child and completed a 4 year Bachelor’s degree program at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She continued her studies in naturalism at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

Tracy has participated as an invited featured artist in many festivals and events in the US, Canada, Japan, Korea, China where her paintings have won numerous awards accolades.

Currently, she holds a Guinness World Record set in 2006for the largest street painting by an individual.

Hue displays all its old structures to boost tourism

Tourists to the ancient capital of Hue will have the chance to enjoy the real life of the old city rather than just viewing relics or landscape as they usually do.

Community-based tourism was included in the city authorities' strategy to attract 3 million tourists by 2015, confirmed Ngo Hoa, deputy chairman of Thua Thien-Hue Provincial People's Committee.

With the support from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), the city chose the model of traditional markets on Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridges in Thuy Thanh Commune to develop.

In fact, the Thanh Toan market day was revitalised during the Hue Festival and gained tourists' applause. However, only the tourists who went on tours were introduced to the spot. In addition, few local households got involved in providing the service so the number of beneficiaries remained limited.

JICA will help set up an office for the village's tourism management which will monitor the local tourism quality and enlarge the service scale so more local residents can take participate in tourism.

Travel agencies and information providers are encouraged to co-operate in bringing more tourists to the destination. Field trips will be organised to test out tour quality.

Elsewhere in Phong Dien District's Phong Hoa Commune, Phuoc Tich ancient village, which is home to 40 hundred-year-old nha ruong (houses built with many beams and pillars), has been selected to develop homestays.

JICA also sent Mizokami Yoshihiro, a Japanese ceramic expert to help the village maintain its traditional ceramics production by creating new products based on their traditional technique. More than 20 villagers, most of them old artisans, took part in the programme.

The community-based tourism does not only refresh tourism in the old city but help create more jobs and improve the incomes of local people.

Apart from JICA, the Netherlands Development Organisation SNV helped 70 local residents get jobs as tourism service providers and craft sellers for Huyen Tran cultural centre in An Tay Ward.

This was a good way to promote Hue cultural values and the easiest way for local people to market their traditional crafts, Hoa said.

TV series looks at Quang Tri battle

A television series on the life of Vietnamese people and soldiers at the ancient citadel of Quang Tri during the American War is being aired on HCM City Television (HTV) this week. The four-part series is called Forty Flower Seasons in the Fiery Land of Quang Tri.

In 20-minute episodes, a group of talented directors and cameramen like Lu Hoa, Hong Son and Duc Manh recount events surrounding the battle of Quang Tri which began on June 28, 1972 and lasted 81 days and nights until September 16.

In that battle, the Army of the Sai Gon regime, backed by the US Army, used more than 382,000 tonnes of lethal ammunition with destructive capacity equivalent to almost six Hiroshima-size atomic bombs. But despite the heavy toll in terms of lives lost and injured, the courage and heroism of the freedom fighters prevailed.

Located in downtown of Quang Tri Town, the citadel is known as the Land of Heroism, where several thousand Vietnamese citizens gave up their lives for the nation.

"Through the film, we want to highlight the Vietnamese revolutionaries' remarkable spirit and work in achieving the country's freedom," said HTV Manh, who travelled with his colleagues throughout the province to talk with people who witnessed the battle.

Manh said he had his staff research the battle thoroughly before depicting it.

"We want to help young audiences understand the spirit and revolutionary cause that gives the battle of Quang Tri Battle its special place in Vietnamese history," he said.

The airing of the series was started last night on HTV9 at 8:30pm and will last for four consecutive nights.

Gravesite from time of Hung Kings found
 
A prehistoric gravesite was recently discovered in Thuong Am Commune, northern Tuyen Quang Province, by the Viet Nam Institue of Archaeology and Tuyen Quang Museum, according to Associate Professor Trinh Nang Chung.

This is the first time archaeologists have found a gravesite built in the period of the Hung Kings (2879BC - 258BC) in Tuyen Quang.

Based on appearances, materials, design of jars, ceramic pots and burial methods, archaeologists initially determined that the site, situated on Sa Ve Mountain, was constructed in the pre-Dong Son era, dating back nearly 3,000 years.

Graves in the shape of giant ceramic jars and pots that contained remains and relics were buried in cracks and cavities inside mountains, a familiar method of the ancient Vietnamese, Chung said.

Most of the graves were broken however.

Archaeologists plan to further excavate the site.

Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts Magazine debuts

The Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts Magazine officially debuted in Hanoi on June 14 to mark the 87th anniversary of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 – 2012).

The magazine, formerly known as the Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts Bulletin, was established according to the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s Announcement issued on June 22, 2010 and was licensed by the Ministry of Information and Communications on April 12 of this year.

As the voice of the Central Council for Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts, the magazine aims to disseminate Party guidelines, State policies and laws on culture and arts, as well as provide information on theory and criticism in the field to raise the effectiveness of the work.

It is also a forum for culture and arts critics, writers and artists from home and abroad as well as international scholars interested in Vietnamese arts and culture.

Australian Dance Company to perform in Hanoi

The Australian Dance Company ‘Remnant Dance’ will present to viewers contemporary dance moves in a series of performances in Hanoi this June.

Theatre on June 23 and then hit the floor at Hanoi Rock City on June 24 and Trung Nguyen Café from June 26-27.

Lucinda Coleman, the ‘Remnant Dance’ founder, choreographer and dancer, will hold a workshop for members of the Vietnam Youth Theatre in which artists can share and learn from each other.

After performing in Hanoi, the dance troupe will prepare for its 2014 Asia Tour.

HCMC Television link-up programs to mark War Invalids and Martyrs' Day

Ho Chi Minh City Television will coordinate with People’s Army Newspaper to broadcast art performances to mark the 65th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day(July 27), via link-ups in Ho Chi Minh City, and Quang Nam, Thai Nguyen and Tay Ninh Provinces on July 22.

Another live link-up television program marking the day will be organized by Vietnam Television on July 26. The program will take place at the Vietnam Television’s S9 Studio in Hanoi, linking the studio and Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi, Dinh Hoa District in Thai Nguyen Province, the National Road 9 Cemetery in Quang Tri Province, the South Central Security Base in Tay Ninh Province and Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province.

The program is meant to be a tribute to martyrs and wounded soldiers, for providing exchanges with historical witnesses during the wartime, Vietnamese heroic mothers and heroes of the People’s Armed Forces.

Modernist Gustav Klimt’s paintings on display

A painting exhibition featuring works by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, the forerunner of modernism, will open tomorrow at Vietnam National Library to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Iconic painting ‘The Kiss’ by Klimt (1862-1918) can be seen all over Hanoi on canvases, lacquer plates and boxes, coffee mugs. Klimt embodies the beauty, seductiveness and boldness of art nouveau, the revolutionary art movement around 1900 in Europe like few other artists.

He lived in a time and a place of a cultural path-breaking period, together with fellow Viennese like Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schonberg.

The show also features portraits of women from the Austrian upper class. His many female portraits and female allegories form a narrative of the Vienna art nouveau era. The works depict a unique eroticism and psychological depth. His landscape paintings are of breathtaking beauty as well.

The exhibition, which also marks the 40th anniversary of Austria-Vietnam relations, will run until June 24 at the library, 31 Trang Thi Street in Hanoi.

AirAsia brings F1 to Vietnam

AirAsia is the official partner of Caterham F1 team and will be holding their first-ever F1 roadshow in Vietnam to let guests and enthusiasts from around the country enjoy and have a first-hand experience of the excitement of Formula 1 racing with the AirAsia Caterham F1 Simulator.

The roadshow will be held at Vincom Center at 71 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1 from tomorrow until Sunday and at Crescent Mall on Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, District 7 from June 22-24, while the Caterham F1 team display car will be featured at Liberty Center Hotel at 179 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1 from June 18-21.

Visitors to the roadshow can win a trip (free flight, hotel and ticket included) to watch the Singapore Grand Prix  in September, with two pairs of Grandstand tickets up for grabs.

Visitors also get the chance to meet AirAsia’s fun and friendly cabin crew.

HCMC to exhibit artworks of Vietnam’s late famous painter
 
Vu Cao Dam's famous Chuyen tro voi giai nhan trong vuon (converse with the beauty in a garden) (1939) was purchased for US$230,477 in Hong Kong.

Asia's first exhibition featuring the work of renowned artist Vu Cao Dam (1908 - 2000) will open June 16 in Ho Chi Minh City, reported The Thao & Van Hoa Newspaper Friday.

Entitled “A collection of lithograph paintings by Vu Cao Dam – a master of 20tn century fine arts”, the exhibition, organized by Gallery Saigon, includes 13 lithograph pieces, among the 150 works Dam created circa 1970-1971.

One of Dam’s lithography works was sold by Sotheby’s for US$30, 000, and in 2008, his Chuyen tro voi giai nhan trong vuon (converse with the beauty in garden) (1939) was purchased for US$230,477 in Hong Kong.

A sculptor and painter, Dam obtained a scholarship for further studies in sculpture in France in 1931. However, he abandoned sculpture for painting, and lives and works mainly in France.

His name is included in the Arts Dictionary and some of his works are displayed in the Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam in Hanoi.

There are two stages in his career: The first is silk painting, influenced by old Chinese painting; the second, oil painting, influenced somewhat by Chagall.

According to the artist, “I pursued painting during World War II, because of material shortage for sculpture as well as the bronze casting was banned during war time.”

The exhibition will run through June 23 at Metropolitan, 235 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, HCMC.